Lakers News: LA Will Face Off Against Warriors In 2nd Round Of West Playoffs
Buckle up for what will surely be one of the most-watched second round playoff matchups in decades.
It didn't quite rival the Los Angeles Lakers' monumental 40-point smackdown over the Memphis Grizzlies in a closeout Game 6 of their own first round series, but the Golden State Warriors nevertheless obliterated the Sacramento Kings on the road this afternoon to advance to a date with LA, scheduled to kick off on Tuesday.
After a hard-fought first half, during which Golden State actually trailed by two points, 58-56, Stephen Curry woke up for the playoff game of his life, and absolutely flattened the Kings in the second half. The final margin: 120-100 Warriors, with the nine-time All-Star point guard and reigning NBA Finals MVP chipping in a whopping 50 (!) of those points on 20-of-38 shooting from the floor (7-of-18 from deep). The dude was automatic from everywhere, making psychotic circus shots seemingly at will.
Although I've previously stated that I felt the Warriors would be a preferable opponent in this round due to their size disparity against LA, their stars' age, and the Lakers' big free throw shooting edge, I'm suddenly reconsidering just how much trouble the reigning champs could give Los Angeles. Starting Golden State center Kevon Looney had a terrific series against Sacramento, grabbing 20 or more rebounds in three of the club's seven contests, including 21 boards (plus 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting) in today's closeout bout.
Lakers All-Star small forward LeBron James is no stranger to postseason matchups against the Warriors. While still with the Cleveland Cavaliers, King James appeared in four straight NBA Finals meetings against Golden State, winning in 2016. With LA, James did face off against the Dubs in the 2021 play-in tournament, a game Los Angeles won 103-100 to advance to a first round matchup against the Phoenix Suns.
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